Sunday, July 19, 2015

Luke 9:43-45 (NLT): Faith Hindsight

Luke 9:43-45 (NLT): Faith Hindsight
While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn't understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

Comment:
Looking back at our experiences can sometimes lead to epiphanous moments. As adults, we remember formative experiences that made little sense at the time, but with grown eyes and a better sense of our world, those early experiences make sense and fit into the picture of who we have become.  Maturity gives us a sharper sense of perspective.

This was the same truth Christ’s inner-circle, Peter, James, and John, experienced. When they witnessed the great theophany of the Transfiguration, “they couldn't understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.” Peter, James, and John, three of Jesus’ closest friends, did not understand that he had to suffer, die, and rise in order to redeem us.  Peter was too caught up in the spiritual significance of Moses and Elijah to think about and coalesce Jesus's important words, not even to mention the voice of the Father coming from the cloud. The disciples, moreover, did not understand the Transfiguration until after the Resurrection.  At that point, the experience made total sense, and they were able to preach about the Kingdom of God and Christ resurrected.

Life provides trials and experiences that momentarily puzzle us.  But we must, as Peter, James, and John did, chalk-up the experience to faith, trusting that God is in charge and will reveal all truth in His time.

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